Hey Rick,
Just wanted to let you know that I have registered in the Pearls part of your website. I have been thinking about how to go about blogging and how I want to be able to write the things I have inside. But I know that in time I will learn more about myself and others as well.
Thank you for believing in me.
Christi Hysell
Accessibility Advocate/Coordinator/Artist
Athens Photographic Project
I stumbled upon this site via a completely unrelated Google search
and I can’t even begin to tell you how truly grateful I am for doing so! What an undeniably beautiful soul you have, Mr. Guidotti! Humanity at it’s VERY best (to say the least)!!! Thank you for restoring my faith! With so much ugliness in this world today, this was truly a breath of fresh air! I will, without a doubt, be supporting your work from here on out and I truly cannot wait to check out more of it!
P.S. You have absolutely inspired me! I am a silversmith in the making and once I do finally get myself established I had planned on doing a lil’ “humanitarian” project of my own to coincide with my jewelry business ????. It wasn’t enough for me to just build a career for myself, especially after the last several years of struggles I’ve endured. I knew that once I finally reached a comfortable place in my career journey that I wanted to (needed to, is more like it) help others going through their own struggles. I have big plans in the works ????. Thank you for being such a wonderful human! This was truly a heartening experience for me ????.
Last year when I was in the 12th grade I had the opportunity to go a humans genetic conference in Vancouver. It was here that I first heard about Positive Exposure and was moved by the kind heart of Rick Guidotti. His stories and words were incredibly moving and got me to really think about what I wanted to do with my life and how I wanted to make a positive impact myself. Rick is one of the main reasons I decided to go into nursing, I wanted to do something helpful with my work and time. I recently just started my first year of Nursing at UBCO and some of the ethics classes reminded me of this great organization.
I am a first year medical student at PCOM. I was preparing for this upcoming week and found that we are going to have a presentation on Positive Exposure. I looked more into it and roamed around your web page and I just wanted to say thank you for what you do. As an amateur photographer I have oftentimes considered doing something similar, possibly with the elderly who are so often tragically dehumanized.
Without taking up much of your time, I just wanted to send a quick note thanking you. I am excited for your presentation and look forward to meeting you!
I read an article in The Guardian (UK) in August 2015, featuring Positive Exposure.
I was really inspired by your motivation, and dedication to work, and looked through the Gallery on your site.
When I reached the page on Fragile X, I stopped in my tracks. Your photographs strongly reminded me of my two sisters, both of whom have a learning disability.
As a direct result of reading that article, I began to research the condition, contacted my doctor about genetic tests, and one year later, one sister received a diagnosis of full mutation Fragile X, with the rest of our family awaiting results (my other sister is predicted to receive the same diagnosis).
Thank you for helping our family to recognise and understand a decades-old query, and for helping my sisters receive the most appropriate support for their condition.
Thank you for using your gifts and talents to educate the public about the beauty of our differences!! May the Lord bless you and your work as you embrace our uniquenesses! Thank you
Bless you for showing us the beauty in every one, no matter what the stage of life. Oh, and one more thank you — for the Dravet picture. I have a dear friend whose daughter has Dravet, and to me, she’s always beautiful. Glad the world can finally begin to see Dravet kids too!
My group had the pleasure of hearing you speak recently at the Niagara Falls Premier at the Seneca Niagara Casino. We are a group of Pediatric Anesthesiologist based out of the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. We also provide anesthesia services at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. We would like to invite you to come speak and visit our facility. We are also very interested in purchasing some of your portraits. We are inspired by your work and would love the opportunity to share them with our patients and their families.
Beautiful & inspirational photography!
In dermatology we treat patients who have other conditions such as psoriasis which is not considered of pure genetic inheritance, but patients often are embarrassed through lack of public awareness. If you ever decide to expand your work, there would be a multitude of other skin disorders you could include: psoriasis (skin inflammation and rash), vitiligo (autoimmune loss of pigment in patches on the skin), alopecia areata (autoimmune loss of hair in patches or widespread), to name a few examples.
Great work!
Laura
this is so inspiring and touching! thank you, thank you for helping the world to see the amazing beauty in all of us!! i am just a working stiff with no money, but if/when I have money to share you will be near the top of the giving list!! Love you abd what you do to make the world a better place!!!
Wow! I really wanted to comment to the original photographer! Fantastic work and such a fabulous way to display beauty of any and all people! Great job and thank you! <3
I have 3 gorgeous boys with albinism. I think your project is amazing. I wish you could show my Jacob just how gorgeous he really is. He us like Christina in his mannerisms. He walks with his head down and doesn’t make eye contact with strangers for fear of being judged. He is 19yrs old and tremendously intelligent Nad extremely handsome. Thank you for sharing this project and these beautiful people with the world
Your project is one after my own heart. Words fail me as I try and express both my gratitude and awe for the gift you are giving.
This “expression” is valuable not only for those with disabilities but for those without as well. Our society does a fine job of making most of us feel “other”, less than.
I too have a heart and eyes that can see beyond just the physical which can be so distracting.
I would love to be a part of your team. I live in New Jersey, please contact with me and let me know if I can be of some service to you or the organization.
Ty! Alovera
Rick,
Just saw a news item about you and your work on photographing people with Albanism. I had never heard of you or your work before, but find it very inspiring. I also want you to know my grandfather shared your same last name and was born in Luca Italy around the year 1900. Keep up the great work, this world needs more people like you.
What an amazing work of beauty, love, inspiration. May your pictures continue to open the eyes of many so that they can see life snd others through the eyes of the heart. Blessed be your artist eyes and your inspiring life mission!
Thank you Mr. Guidotti for sharing other Beauties of the world, I would have never had the opportunity to see otherwise. And Thanks goes to the Beautiful people and/or their families that shared these precious photos .
I have been searching a long time for a cause (or purpose, if you will) in my life, and I believe I found it.
Syndromes, disorders, etc. are just terms people give, when they DO NOT recognize BEAUTIFUL:-)
Thank You for the Blessing, God is certainly smiling down on You:-)
Just wanted to take a minute to tell you that I think what you are doing is so fantastic. To give value and worth to these people is a gift beyond measure. May God continue to bless you and the work that you are doing.
The world is consumed by vanity and selfishness, my hat is off to you for leaving behind that world and making a difference in these precious people’s lives!!!! Shalom!!!
You are an inspiration………to be able to see the beauty in everyone………..and share it is outstanding. Thank you and God Bless you and all of your “models”….
I just watched a story on Channel 2 News in Dayton, OH and I cried. You are so awesome for showing these precious children what beauty really means. Your efforts and photographs are sowing seeds of positive self images. I’d love to help possibly with styling or allowing children to pick a quick accessory or costume to complete the photo shoot experience.
Thank you. I am sixty years old and I have always had low self esteem from a physical defect. My heart is pounding right now cause I feel I have a connection. Peace.
I am looking forward to your visit at Greenville Health System and our Medical School in Greenville, South Carolina. This is an awesome work that you have championed. As a nurse, all we were trained with the old text books that contain pictures that de-humanized these patients and only focus on their disease. It is a slippery slope that physicians and medical staff often fall down – they treat the disease, not the patient. I’m so glad you are becoming the beacon to shine upon these patients and educating medical students, staff, and physicians.
This is a a very good site. I have commenced checking out this website more more frequently now as i have noticed it helpful. I will highly recommend this site to my friends too. Thanks for the an excellent information.
I’ll bet you don’t remember me. That’s ok. I haven’t been to the last couple of conferences, my feet hurt and I can only walk so much. I think the last time I saw you was the Las Vegas Conference. Family friendly yeah right. I just wanted to say that I didn’t delibertly just sit down and be a part of that picture when they were filming, just wanted to find a place to sit down. I’m very impressed with your work. I remember the first time that I saw you, I thought you were a bit crazy. I had low self esteem and I was overweight. Didn’t feel good about myself, but over the years with the right medications and have a great job. Anyway, I would love to hear from you when you aren’t busy. I also have alot to learn with disabilities.
See you in the next year or two probably by myself.
Rick I loved meeting you at the Nevus Outreach Conference.Your work is amazing.If there had been someone like you around in the 60’s life would have been so much better for so many.Keep up the good work to Positively Expose ALL BEAUTY !!!! You will hold a special place in my heart. I really love your view of beauty.
I am amazed. I was watching an old show I had recorded last year with Brian Williams. When he talked about your story I have to admit I wasn’t excited. I guess I was picturing something more towards the medical books but maybe not as extreme. I was very pleasantly surprised. You have a way of capturing a beauty that some would never see because you don’t just take a picture of a person somehow you have captured their personality. You are a delightful person yourself and God has given you a very special gift. I will remember you when I pray. May God bless you in what you are doing.
I am a Girl Guide leader in Canada. I am trying to enforce the idea of “real beauty” in my 9-12 year old girls. By the time they “graduate” from my unit, I want them to feel as positive and as powerful as they possibly can. Your website will help me do that!
I think u are a truly beautiful person inside and out
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing
these wonderful people how beautiful they truly are
Your work and your mission lit up my Sunday better than church. The “beauty myth” is more than a myth — it is a prison. You are helping us to jailbreak these unfair attitudes that cause so much pain and misunderstanding. As a woman who came of age in the 1970s, I’d say younger women now have a much harder time, even with more opportunities than we had. Please keep doing your loving work so we can all be seen in our best light. (And if you come to Taiwan, my university or a better venue should be proud to host you and your work, maybe with some official support — contact me by e-mail if you might have time for this…)
I absolutely LOVE the pictures. What beautiful people! What great shots. The compassion that shows through your pictures and the essence of TRUE beauty is amazing! All I could do was smile. Keep up the GREAT work.
At some time in my life I obtained the ability to see inner beauty. I think most people have the capacity to see inner beauty, but many have not yet developed that ability. I think empathy is related to the ability to see inner beauty, and now that our society is global we need all the empathy that we can muster. Thank you for helping spread empathy.
Kudos to you! I’m an occupational therapist working with students in the public school system in nyc. They are wonderful, unique, and beautiful, no matter what their classification or diagnosis is. Thank you so much for being an advocate for people of all abilities.
Thank you for your efforts. I fear the time for high school graduation pictures because as a parent it is hard to keep our daughter in a pose if at all. She has Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome (Chromosome 18 deletion) and only recently diagnosed after our genetic search for 15 years. If you have any tips to pass on to capture the high school graduation picture that would be awesome. Thanks. Dana
Hi there, simply was aware of your blog through Google, and found that it’s truly informative. I’m going to watch out for brussels. I will be grateful in the event you proceed this in future. A lot of people will be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!
My premature triplet daughter Anna was born with Anencephaly on May 4, 1998. I was shown a picture in a medical book of what she’d look like. I was horrified, as you said in your Rock Center video. Since then, thanks to a Facebook page dedicated to these babies and their families, I have seen some stunningly beautiful pictures of these babies who are born with all or most of their brain missing, no skull, bulging eyes. But you see the parents pictures and you see them in their babies and you see that child’s chubby cheeks or beautiful rosebud lips. You see that babies personality. I wasn’t prepared to see those good things. But Anna had a personality even before she was born, as did her triplet sisters, all who passed. Thank you for bringing to light the people, the babies, the adults who get stares and quizzical looks and sometimes horrified looks. Contact me if you want more info on Anencephaly.
LOVE LOVE LOVE what you are using your gifts and talents for. I recently adopted a son from China that has Radial Aplasia which basically means he does not have a radius bone. He is a normal healthy happy boy who just so happens to have one arm that is smaller than the other.
Thank you for posting such great pictures.
Thank you for these amazing pictures. I have a son with Cerbral Palsy who is in a wheelchair so I get to see first hand how his happiness and personality brings a smile to everyone he meets. So
thank you again for taking wonderful pictures and sharing them with everyone
I have a 12 year old daughter – just a regular girl…but what these kids…what all of us have been taught to believe is a specific definition of beauty. And, unfortunately that definition is being pounded into all of us as fact. Thank you for seeing beauty where most refuse to even look. Thank you for shining light on the fact that different is NOT unattractive…it is just different and our understanding of beauty needs to be re-evaluated.
Thank you very much for such inspirational work! I am a medical student and am particularly interested in Genetics. Thank you for letting me see beyond the medical text books!
My son has a rare condition that makes him look substantially different to what is perceived as normal. This project made my heart smile, as it shows the person, not the condition, which is what we as parents want to know about. We get enough medical jargon from the doctors; to see what our children can look like from the inside is simply amazing! Please let us know if you ever venture to Australia!!
Words cannot express how I feel to know that someone appreciates the beauty of human life. I can’t thank you enough! You are a truly wonderful artist. I am a mother of 5 children, 3 of which have special needs and multiple diagnoses including chromosome conditions.
Thank you so so much for helping raise awareness for rare conditions.
You have already touched the lives of so many and I know that you will touch many more people around the world.
Thank you from the bottom of my ♥heart ♥
Having worked as a model for two years I understand where you are coming from. I just found out about your work through a report on NBC and I just want to say how I admire a previous fashion photographer to stand up for real beauty that is found in each and every one of us. One of the reasons why I stopped modeling is because I did not agree philosophically with my work. I see modeling as a work of art, not as a skill only reserved for a few selectees. Thank you for letting us hear the voices of many human beings, not medical cases!
Love, love, love your project and each photo! We have adopted three children from China. Our daughters were born with cleft lip and palate. They are still very conscious of the way their mouths, lips and noses are different from other little girls but they can see a photo of a baby with cl/cp and they will ooooh and aaaah over how cute the baby is. Thank you so much for showing the world that different is so beautiful!!
Thank you so very much for sharing these beautiful photos with the world! I am a mother of a special needs child and I feel that you have indeed shown these people’s true hearts in your photos! Thank you for using your gifts and talents to educate the public about the beauty of our differences!! May the Lord bless you and your work as you embrace our uniquenesses! Thank you!!
Thank You, thank you, thank you! As a mother of two boys born w/CHARGE Syndrome, the cause of their craniofacial deformities, I applaud your compassion and resolve to change the stigma of those with them. You have touched so many with your work that you will never ever know. Thank you.
I commend you on this project. As a parent of two special needs children (one deceased and one grown), I am touched deeply by the beauty you see. Your subjects/models are the loveliest models I have ever laid eyes on. Far and away more beautiful than any high fashion model, in part because there is nothing hidden in these photos. They are as honest as the day is long. Thank you for doing this,
Hi,
I love what you are doing! I worked with profoundly disabled young children for a long time. What I saw, and what you are capturing in your photos, is the spirit within each child. that is a very special gift and thank you for sharing it with the world.
you are working with unconditional love….so wonderful!
Hi,
I love what you are doing! I worked with profoundly disabled young children for a long time. What I saw, and what you are capturing in your photos, is the spirit within each child. that is a very special gift and thank you for sharing it with the world.
love and laughter,
Anne-Marie
Thank you, so very very much. These photos are amazing but so are the people in them. I saw the piece on “Rock Center” and I understood exactly what you meant. I have primary lymphedema — nothing like what these folks face, but it can have repercussions if left untreated. When I first heard about lymphedema and thought “could I have that” the pictures from medical journals and sites scared the bejeezus out of me, and it led to a little denial: “I can’t have that, my symptoms are not like that” (and they weren’t but I still have the condition). I was lucky — I didn’t have that worst-case scenario yet. The pictures were horrid. I wish I’d been able to see pictures of people living well with the condition – in various stages of management and doing well, beaming smiles.
Bless you. Bless you for showing us the beauty in every one, no matter what the stage of life. Oh, and one more thank you — for the Dravet picture. I have a dear friend whose daughter has Dravet, and to me, she’s always beautiful. 🙂 Glad the world can finally begin to see Dravet kids too!
These photos are beautiful. I am so happy to see the beauty I see at work each day, and that parents see each day, here. You capture spirits, not just faces!
I met you when you came to the Perkins School for the Blind several years ago. I was a volunteer in the Infant and Toddler program and we were doing a special albinism group. I was blown away then by your vision and humanity. You saw these beautiful children as we did. I was once again reminded of that day while watching a piece about you on Rock Center. I’m very happy that a wider audience could be made aware of the wonderful work you are doing. With much admiration – Natasha
I am a registered nurse and saw program on Rock Center last night and was so totally inspired by what Mr. Guidotti was all about. The pictures in medical books are so outdated and what a person sees upon looking up any information on any disabilities of any kind are unspeakable, I want so badly to help promote the education of the general public and especially children so that they learn from a very early age that these people are really no different than you and I. Please help me to help them learn in any way I possible could. God bless all medical educators so they to can see the importance and change this could and will make in this world. I pray I am able to be a part of this education and learning process.
Thank you for your work. As someone living with a genetic defect, Turner’s Syndome, your work and images were a true blessing to me. I appreciate it.
Peace and Good;
Francine
Beautiful photos of beautiful people. My 13 month old daughter Naomi has Down Syndrome and I appreciate people like all of you who are working to redefine beauty. Thank you for using your passion to help change our world.
Corinne
Just watched the slideshow. I was great. But the writing that told about the subjects was too small.I had to squint, and still could barely see. Please make it bigger. Adjusting my screen resolution didn’t help.
Just watched your interview on Rock Center. Love your vision and your help educating the medical professionals. You are a hero to the kids (and adults!) to show the world how their families see them. Keep up the wonderful work!
As a former special education teacher, I must thank you for valuing and instilling value within each of the unique and beautiful individuals in which you impact through your art! What a joy it was to see your work on Rock Center this evening!
This is such a wonderful project – bless you! As a grandmother of 2 very special grandchildren, I am so happy to see these beautiful photographs! My 2 year old granddaughter is a burn survivor and I understand how important it is to feel ‘gorgeous’! We work everyday with her to build that positive self image!
Wonderful!
Congratulations to you for applying your craft in a way that makes a difference to those who need it! I admire your vision and I want to thank you for your work. I have never posted this kind of remark on an artist’s website, but the story I saw tonight moved myself and my wife to tears. I thought you deserved to know that your work is reaching and moving ordinary people like me. You are making the world a better place for those who should be celebrated for their differences. Thank you!
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Test
Hey Rick,
Just wanted to let you know that I have registered in the Pearls part of your website. I have been thinking about how to go about blogging and how I want to be able to write the things I have inside. But I know that in time I will learn more about myself and others as well.
Thank you for believing in me.
Christi Hysell
Accessibility Advocate/Coordinator/Artist
Athens Photographic Project
I stumbled upon this site via a completely unrelated Google search
and I can’t even begin to tell you how truly grateful I am for doing so! What an undeniably beautiful soul you have, Mr. Guidotti! Humanity at it’s VERY best (to say the least)!!! Thank you for restoring my faith! With so much ugliness in this world today, this was truly a breath of fresh air! I will, without a doubt, be supporting your work from here on out and I truly cannot wait to check out more of it!
P.S. You have absolutely inspired me! I am a silversmith in the making and once I do finally get myself established I had planned on doing a lil’ “humanitarian” project of my own to coincide with my jewelry business ????. It wasn’t enough for me to just build a career for myself, especially after the last several years of struggles I’ve endured. I knew that once I finally reached a comfortable place in my career journey that I wanted to (needed to, is more like it) help others going through their own struggles. I have big plans in the works ????. Thank you for being such a wonderful human! This was truly a heartening experience for me ????.
Last year when I was in the 12th grade I had the opportunity to go a humans genetic conference in Vancouver. It was here that I first heard about Positive Exposure and was moved by the kind heart of Rick Guidotti. His stories and words were incredibly moving and got me to really think about what I wanted to do with my life and how I wanted to make a positive impact myself. Rick is one of the main reasons I decided to go into nursing, I wanted to do something helpful with my work and time. I recently just started my first year of Nursing at UBCO and some of the ethics classes reminded me of this great organization.
very impressed with the Rock Center program. keep up the good work!
I am a first year medical student at PCOM. I was preparing for this upcoming week and found that we are going to have a presentation on Positive Exposure. I looked more into it and roamed around your web page and I just wanted to say thank you for what you do. As an amateur photographer I have oftentimes considered doing something similar, possibly with the elderly who are so often tragically dehumanized.
Without taking up much of your time, I just wanted to send a quick note thanking you. I am excited for your presentation and look forward to meeting you!
I read an article in The Guardian (UK) in August 2015, featuring Positive Exposure.
I was really inspired by your motivation, and dedication to work, and looked through the Gallery on your site.
When I reached the page on Fragile X, I stopped in my tracks. Your photographs strongly reminded me of my two sisters, both of whom have a learning disability.
As a direct result of reading that article, I began to research the condition, contacted my doctor about genetic tests, and one year later, one sister received a diagnosis of full mutation Fragile X, with the rest of our family awaiting results (my other sister is predicted to receive the same diagnosis).
Thank you for helping our family to recognise and understand a decades-old query, and for helping my sisters receive the most appropriate support for their condition.
Thank you for using your gifts and talents to educate the public about the beauty of our differences!! May the Lord bless you and your work as you embrace our uniquenesses! Thank you
Bless you for showing us the beauty in every one, no matter what the stage of life. Oh, and one more thank you — for the Dravet picture. I have a dear friend whose daughter has Dravet, and to me, she’s always beautiful. Glad the world can finally begin to see Dravet kids too!
My group had the pleasure of hearing you speak recently at the Niagara Falls Premier at the Seneca Niagara Casino. We are a group of Pediatric Anesthesiologist based out of the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. We also provide anesthesia services at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. We would like to invite you to come speak and visit our facility. We are also very interested in purchasing some of your portraits. We are inspired by your work and would love the opportunity to share them with our patients and their families.
Thank you again for the wonderful presentation!
Thanks for work, your work 🙂 I will share this site to my friends
Beautiful & inspirational photography!
In dermatology we treat patients who have other conditions such as psoriasis which is not considered of pure genetic inheritance, but patients often are embarrassed through lack of public awareness. If you ever decide to expand your work, there would be a multitude of other skin disorders you could include: psoriasis (skin inflammation and rash), vitiligo (autoimmune loss of pigment in patches on the skin), alopecia areata (autoimmune loss of hair in patches or widespread), to name a few examples.
Great work!
Laura
this is so inspiring and touching! thank you, thank you for helping the world to see the amazing beauty in all of us!! i am just a working stiff with no money, but if/when I have money to share you will be near the top of the giving list!! Love you abd what you do to make the world a better place!!!
Wow! I really wanted to comment to the original photographer! Fantastic work and such a fabulous way to display beauty of any and all people! Great job and thank you! <3
I have 3 gorgeous boys with albinism. I think your project is amazing. I wish you could show my Jacob just how gorgeous he really is. He us like Christina in his mannerisms. He walks with his head down and doesn’t make eye contact with strangers for fear of being judged. He is 19yrs old and tremendously intelligent Nad extremely handsome. Thank you for sharing this project and these beautiful people with the world
Your project is one after my own heart. Words fail me as I try and express both my gratitude and awe for the gift you are giving.
This “expression” is valuable not only for those with disabilities but for those without as well. Our society does a fine job of making most of us feel “other”, less than.
I too have a heart and eyes that can see beyond just the physical which can be so distracting.
I would love to be a part of your team. I live in New Jersey, please contact with me and let me know if I can be of some service to you or the organization.
Ty! Alovera
Rick,
Just saw a news item about you and your work on photographing people with Albanism. I had never heard of you or your work before, but find it very inspiring. I also want you to know my grandfather shared your same last name and was born in Luca Italy around the year 1900. Keep up the great work, this world needs more people like you.
What an amazing work of beauty, love, inspiration. May your pictures continue to open the eyes of many so that they can see life snd others through the eyes of the heart. Blessed be your artist eyes and your inspiring life mission!
So glad I got to see the film and hug you today! What else can we do in addition to social media and buying a CD?
Terrific project! Beautifully done!
Thank you Mr. Guidotti for sharing other Beauties of the world, I would have never had the opportunity to see otherwise. And Thanks goes to the Beautiful people and/or their families that shared these precious photos .
I have been searching a long time for a cause (or purpose, if you will) in my life, and I believe I found it.
Syndromes, disorders, etc. are just terms people give, when they DO NOT recognize BEAUTIFUL:-)
Thank You for the Blessing, God is certainly smiling down on You:-)
Just wanted to take a minute to tell you that I think what you are doing is so fantastic. To give value and worth to these people is a gift beyond measure. May God continue to bless you and the work that you are doing.
I just saw Rich’s flicker story and all I can saw is WOW!!!!!!!
God bless you!!!!
The world is consumed by vanity and selfishness, my hat is off to you for leaving behind that world and making a difference in these precious people’s lives!!!! Shalom!!!
You are an inspiration………to be able to see the beauty in everyone………..and share it is outstanding. Thank you and God Bless you and all of your “models”….
I just watched a story on Channel 2 News in Dayton, OH and I cried. You are so awesome for showing these precious children what beauty really means. Your efforts and photographs are sowing seeds of positive self images. I’d love to help possibly with styling or allowing children to pick a quick accessory or costume to complete the photo shoot experience.
Thank you. I am sixty years old and I have always had low self esteem from a physical defect. My heart is pounding right now cause I feel I have a connection. Peace.
I am looking forward to your visit at Greenville Health System and our Medical School in Greenville, South Carolina. This is an awesome work that you have championed. As a nurse, all we were trained with the old text books that contain pictures that de-humanized these patients and only focus on their disease. It is a slippery slope that physicians and medical staff often fall down – they treat the disease, not the patient. I’m so glad you are becoming the beacon to shine upon these patients and educating medical students, staff, and physicians.
These pictures are so BEAUTIFUL!
so honored to have found this site.
This is awesome! I can see these kids feel so special and they are! Great work!!
This is a a very good site. I have commenced checking out this website more more frequently now as i have noticed it helpful. I will highly recommend this site to my friends too. Thanks for the an excellent information.
Hey Rick,
I’ll bet you don’t remember me. That’s ok. I haven’t been to the last couple of conferences, my feet hurt and I can only walk so much. I think the last time I saw you was the Las Vegas Conference. Family friendly yeah right. I just wanted to say that I didn’t delibertly just sit down and be a part of that picture when they were filming, just wanted to find a place to sit down. I’m very impressed with your work. I remember the first time that I saw you, I thought you were a bit crazy. I had low self esteem and I was overweight. Didn’t feel good about myself, but over the years with the right medications and have a great job. Anyway, I would love to hear from you when you aren’t busy. I also have alot to learn with disabilities.
See you in the next year or two probably by myself.
Beautiful photos,absolutely made my day!! thank you
Rick I loved meeting you at the Nevus Outreach Conference.Your work is amazing.If there had been someone like you around in the 60’s life would have been so much better for so many.Keep up the good work to Positively Expose ALL BEAUTY !!!! You will hold a special place in my heart. I really love your view of beauty.
I am amazed. I was watching an old show I had recorded last year with Brian Williams. When he talked about your story I have to admit I wasn’t excited. I guess I was picturing something more towards the medical books but maybe not as extreme. I was very pleasantly surprised. You have a way of capturing a beauty that some would never see because you don’t just take a picture of a person somehow you have captured their personality. You are a delightful person yourself and God has given you a very special gift. I will remember you when I pray. May God bless you in what you are doing.
Diana
I am a Girl Guide leader in Canada. I am trying to enforce the idea of “real beauty” in my 9-12 year old girls. By the time they “graduate” from my unit, I want them to feel as positive and as powerful as they possibly can. Your website will help me do that!
Good job and very bright idea!
I
Love
You!
your idea is awesome!I love that finally someone captures another side of beauty!
I think u are a truly beautiful person inside and out
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing
these wonderful people how beautiful they truly are
Your work and your mission lit up my Sunday better than church. The “beauty myth” is more than a myth — it is a prison. You are helping us to jailbreak these unfair attitudes that cause so much pain and misunderstanding. As a woman who came of age in the 1970s, I’d say younger women now have a much harder time, even with more opportunities than we had. Please keep doing your loving work so we can all be seen in our best light. (And if you come to Taiwan, my university or a better venue should be proud to host you and your work, maybe with some official support — contact me by e-mail if you might have time for this…)
I absolutely LOVE the pictures. What beautiful people! What great shots. The compassion that shows through your pictures and the essence of TRUE beauty is amazing! All I could do was smile. Keep up the GREAT work.
Your photographs touched my heart:) You really captured the beauty of your subjects – kudos. With much respect, Lisa
At some time in my life I obtained the ability to see inner beauty. I think most people have the capacity to see inner beauty, but many have not yet developed that ability. I think empathy is related to the ability to see inner beauty, and now that our society is global we need all the empathy that we can muster. Thank you for helping spread empathy.
Thank you for making my day – I love your photos and the joy that you have captured.
I have always had a hard time with traditional beauty – it is forgettable. Not these guys!
Please keep up the great work and show us more! 🙂
Kudos to you! I’m an occupational therapist working with students in the public school system in nyc. They are wonderful, unique, and beautiful, no matter what their classification or diagnosis is. Thank you so much for being an advocate for people of all abilities.
Dear Mr. Guidotti,
Thank you for your efforts. I fear the time for high school graduation pictures because as a parent it is hard to keep our daughter in a pose if at all. She has Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome (Chromosome 18 deletion) and only recently diagnosed after our genetic search for 15 years. If you have any tips to pass on to capture the high school graduation picture that would be awesome. Thanks. Dana
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My premature triplet daughter Anna was born with Anencephaly on May 4, 1998. I was shown a picture in a medical book of what she’d look like. I was horrified, as you said in your Rock Center video. Since then, thanks to a Facebook page dedicated to these babies and their families, I have seen some stunningly beautiful pictures of these babies who are born with all or most of their brain missing, no skull, bulging eyes. But you see the parents pictures and you see them in their babies and you see that child’s chubby cheeks or beautiful rosebud lips. You see that babies personality. I wasn’t prepared to see those good things. But Anna had a personality even before she was born, as did her triplet sisters, all who passed. Thank you for bringing to light the people, the babies, the adults who get stares and quizzical looks and sometimes horrified looks. Contact me if you want more info on Anencephaly.
LOVE LOVE LOVE what you are using your gifts and talents for. I recently adopted a son from China that has Radial Aplasia which basically means he does not have a radius bone. He is a normal healthy happy boy who just so happens to have one arm that is smaller than the other.
Thank you for posting such great pictures.
Thank you for these amazing pictures. I have a son with Cerbral Palsy who is in a wheelchair so I get to see first hand how his happiness and personality brings a smile to everyone he meets. So
thank you again for taking wonderful pictures and sharing them with everyone
I have a 12 year old daughter – just a regular girl…but what these kids…what all of us have been taught to believe is a specific definition of beauty. And, unfortunately that definition is being pounded into all of us as fact. Thank you for seeing beauty where most refuse to even look. Thank you for shining light on the fact that different is NOT unattractive…it is just different and our understanding of beauty needs to be re-evaluated.
Dear Mr. Guidotti,
Thank you very much for such inspirational work! I am a medical student and am particularly interested in Genetics. Thank you for letting me see beyond the medical text books!
My son has a rare condition that makes him look substantially different to what is perceived as normal. This project made my heart smile, as it shows the person, not the condition, which is what we as parents want to know about. We get enough medical jargon from the doctors; to see what our children can look like from the inside is simply amazing! Please let us know if you ever venture to Australia!!
Words cannot express how I feel to know that someone appreciates the beauty of human life. I can’t thank you enough! You are a truly wonderful artist. I am a mother of 5 children, 3 of which have special needs and multiple diagnoses including chromosome conditions.
Thank you so so much for helping raise awareness for rare conditions.
You have already touched the lives of so many and I know that you will touch many more people around the world.
Thank you from the bottom of my ♥heart ♥
Thank you!
Dear Rick Guidotti,
Having worked as a model for two years I understand where you are coming from. I just found out about your work through a report on NBC and I just want to say how I admire a previous fashion photographer to stand up for real beauty that is found in each and every one of us. One of the reasons why I stopped modeling is because I did not agree philosophically with my work. I see modeling as a work of art, not as a skill only reserved for a few selectees. Thank you for letting us hear the voices of many human beings, not medical cases!
Love, love, love your project and each photo! We have adopted three children from China. Our daughters were born with cleft lip and palate. They are still very conscious of the way their mouths, lips and noses are different from other little girls but they can see a photo of a baby with cl/cp and they will ooooh and aaaah over how cute the baby is. Thank you so much for showing the world that different is so beautiful!!
Absolutely stunning! My daughter ha a chromosome disorder and I love that you are showing how beautiful we all are <3
You INSPIRE me. Thanks for sharing. I’d like to sign up for the newsletter- but I couldn’t find the link. Thanks
Thank you so very much for sharing these beautiful photos with the world! I am a mother of a special needs child and I feel that you have indeed shown these people’s true hearts in your photos! Thank you for using your gifts and talents to educate the public about the beauty of our differences!! May the Lord bless you and your work as you embrace our uniquenesses! Thank you!!
Thank You, thank you, thank you! As a mother of two boys born w/CHARGE Syndrome, the cause of their craniofacial deformities, I applaud your compassion and resolve to change the stigma of those with them. You have touched so many with your work that you will never ever know. Thank you.
Stunning work!
Beautiful!!!!! Warms my heart.
Mr. Guidotti,
I commend you on this project. As a parent of two special needs children (one deceased and one grown), I am touched deeply by the beauty you see. Your subjects/models are the loveliest models I have ever laid eyes on. Far and away more beautiful than any high fashion model, in part because there is nothing hidden in these photos. They are as honest as the day is long. Thank you for doing this,
Cynthia
Hi,
I love what you are doing! I worked with profoundly disabled young children for a long time. What I saw, and what you are capturing in your photos, is the spirit within each child. that is a very special gift and thank you for sharing it with the world.
you are working with unconditional love….so wonderful!
love and laughter,
Anne-Marie
Hi,
I love what you are doing! I worked with profoundly disabled young children for a long time. What I saw, and what you are capturing in your photos, is the spirit within each child. that is a very special gift and thank you for sharing it with the world.
love and laughter,
Anne-Marie
Thank you, so very very much. These photos are amazing but so are the people in them. I saw the piece on “Rock Center” and I understood exactly what you meant. I have primary lymphedema — nothing like what these folks face, but it can have repercussions if left untreated. When I first heard about lymphedema and thought “could I have that” the pictures from medical journals and sites scared the bejeezus out of me, and it led to a little denial: “I can’t have that, my symptoms are not like that” (and they weren’t but I still have the condition). I was lucky — I didn’t have that worst-case scenario yet. The pictures were horrid. I wish I’d been able to see pictures of people living well with the condition – in various stages of management and doing well, beaming smiles.
Bless you. Bless you for showing us the beauty in every one, no matter what the stage of life. Oh, and one more thank you — for the Dravet picture. I have a dear friend whose daughter has Dravet, and to me, she’s always beautiful. 🙂 Glad the world can finally begin to see Dravet kids too!
These photos are beautiful. I am so happy to see the beauty I see at work each day, and that parents see each day, here. You capture spirits, not just faces!
I met you when you came to the Perkins School for the Blind several years ago. I was a volunteer in the Infant and Toddler program and we were doing a special albinism group. I was blown away then by your vision and humanity. You saw these beautiful children as we did. I was once again reminded of that day while watching a piece about you on Rock Center. I’m very happy that a wider audience could be made aware of the wonderful work you are doing. With much admiration – Natasha
I am a registered nurse and saw program on Rock Center last night and was so totally inspired by what Mr. Guidotti was all about. The pictures in medical books are so outdated and what a person sees upon looking up any information on any disabilities of any kind are unspeakable, I want so badly to help promote the education of the general public and especially children so that they learn from a very early age that these people are really no different than you and I. Please help me to help them learn in any way I possible could. God bless all medical educators so they to can see the importance and change this could and will make in this world. I pray I am able to be a part of this education and learning process.
Thank You !!
Thank you for your work. As someone living with a genetic defect, Turner’s Syndome, your work and images were a true blessing to me. I appreciate it.
Peace and Good;
Francine
Absolutely spectacular!!! I will send the link to this website to everyone I know!
Beautiful photos of beautiful people. My 13 month old daughter Naomi has Down Syndrome and I appreciate people like all of you who are working to redefine beauty. Thank you for using your passion to help change our world.
Corinne
Just watched the slideshow. I was great. But the writing that told about the subjects was too small.I had to squint, and still could barely see. Please make it bigger. Adjusting my screen resolution didn’t help.
Just watched your interview on Rock Center. Love your vision and your help educating the medical professionals. You are a hero to the kids (and adults!) to show the world how their families see them. Keep up the wonderful work!
I would like to join “Friends of”! I’m working on an extended research project regarding aestheticism and modern views of beauty.
Thank you,
Jane
As a former special education teacher, I must thank you for valuing and instilling value within each of the unique and beautiful individuals in which you impact through your art! What a joy it was to see your work on Rock Center this evening!
I loved your your special on ABC! I have a daughter with Angelman syndrome & I would love to be involved & share on my special needs page 🙂
The Rock Center program was heartwarming, eye opening and ultra compassionate! Mr Guidotti is an amazing man!
Thanks for the work you do!
Beautiful! 🙂
Mr. Guidotti
Thank you for everything you do for the human race. I saw the story on Rock Center, and it’s refreshing to see humanity being practiced.
Again Thank You.
This is such a wonderful project – bless you! As a grandmother of 2 very special grandchildren, I am so happy to see these beautiful photographs! My 2 year old granddaughter is a burn survivor and I understand how important it is to feel ‘gorgeous’! We work everyday with her to build that positive self image!
Wonderful!
Congratulations to you for applying your craft in a way that makes a difference to those who need it! I admire your vision and I want to thank you for your work. I have never posted this kind of remark on an artist’s website, but the story I saw tonight moved myself and my wife to tears. I thought you deserved to know that your work is reaching and moving ordinary people like me. You are making the world a better place for those who should be celebrated for their differences. Thank you!
Love these pics! This is a great thing you are doing… please keep going!
I would love to see the faces of people living with a mental illness. It will help take the stigma out of mental illness!
Dear PE,
I would be interested to know if your exhibition is likely to come to Madrid, Spain?
Yours,
Tanya Thompson
Madrid Parents Support Group
tanyallthompson@yahoo.co.uk